100% agree with that.

I think it just demonstrate the lack of foresight of the RFL.
1) They made a short sighted decision to impose the GF condition to Toulouse to try to have everybody happy. They were possibly thinking "Well maybe Toulouse will make the GF, and anyway later on we may change the rules, people won't remember"

.
2) They must have told the Toulouse staff "don't worry" (well I would have been worried if, like them, I have had to rely on an informal word from the RFL)
3) Then after some insisting probing from LE, they admit it one year later.
4) They see the uproar and change their mind the same day!

End result? Toulouse has certainly now less than 1 chance of 10 to be allowed to apply for the SL whilst everybody admit that for the game, and RL in France expansion with Toulouse would be a great option. This GF criterion should never has been imposed on Toulouse in the first place.

See what is coming? Because the RFL wants expansion, they will look for a French team which does not need to reach the GF criterion... As it happens there is one knocking at the door with apparently some financial guarantee. Look out for Paris in 2012, they are possibly the biggest winners of this whole burlesque story.

PS: to avoid misplaced criticism, the point I am making is that the crux of the problem is in 1), the fact that a poor decision was taken in the first place with certainly the idea it could be changed later on.

The RFL making poor decisions?? Never...

Interesting conspiracy theory there



Are the RFL really that clever ?

So many lies, so many! Our organising body has no credibility left, none at all.

Oi Nige , or is Ray on this shift

Are you really that clever ?

You mean LE isn't a reputable journal and doesn't have an anti expansionist agenda?

Yeah I see what you mean, nowt on BBC, Sporting Life or any other decent media...

this has been the funniest thread on here for ages seeing the reaction from the flatcap brigade.

seriously, well done guys.

If the current French coach is to believed, Paris have already been given the nod.

Has anyone considered the possibility that the RFL don't actually want Toulouse in SL? From the start they put restrictions on the quota players they could have in the Championship and also laid down the strict playing performance criteria, which they have re-affirmed after this new "story" broke.

If the RFL wanted Toulouse in SL that badly they wouldn't have said come and join the Championship, and try to fulfil all this criteria. They could have just said you stay were you are and by 2012 we'll see you right. By inviting Toulouse into the Championship and laying down strict criteria has actually made it very hard for Toulouse to get a licence - unless more than 1 club is relegated from SL that is.

Nice that you can show such empathy towards your 'fellow' fans with such sweeping generalisations.....

So it's because we have so many 'moaning fans' that the sport is way behind RU in the UK?? I hope you've made Dicky Lewis aware of this revelation so that the RFL can set about putting it right. Though I suppose you have the answers already.

RL struggles because the game cant accept needed change, many clubs refuse to upgrade and fans are so selfish and close minded

Given Mike Rylance's work involvement and work on behalf of French RL for the past decades, there was definitely not any "agenda" behind the report.

I think FrogRL's summary of the situation is absolutely correct.

why is it whenever fans of championship clubs raise their voices about something which directly affects them, you get the usual suspects trying to condescend and indeed condemn them? for once we are all united in our condemnation of the rfl and it's underhanded tactics, whether we are fax, barrow, widnes, leigh or cougars fans we are singing from the same hymn sheet. then we get some non-descript antipodeans telling us to shut up and stop moaning, the usual s calling us flat cappers, what we are a fans of the greatest game and in our eyes the greatest clubs and we will defend them as fervently as we an in the face of any adversity!

rugby league is not just about the 14 super league clubs, it does exist outside of the tiny mind sets of some posters on this forum.

Like the changes made when Celtic were admitted into SL? That barely lasted a year. And of course fans are selfish -they're fans you daft prick. You generally find that those fans advocating expansion AT ANY COST are fans of unaffected clubs and those up in arms at the very suggestion are NIMBY's because it directly affects their club - probably to the detriment. That's what fans do numbnuts. You're not a fan though are you? You're a floater (forgive the apt pun) and happy to switch between the NRL and the AFL when it suits.

Except some people didn't raise their voices about something which directly affects them, they went over the top on the back of an unfounded rumour which turned out to be untrue.


Monday's report was clearly the result of some sort of conversation between Mark Rylance and David Howes. Only two people know what was actually said in that conversation, but on the back of it the journalist involved felt able to go off and write a story saying "Toulouse will not have to meet qualification criteria."

On the face of it, he appears to have done this without double checking what he thought Howes said – even though it contravened explicitly stated previous policy – with the RFL media dept: however he may have been under deadline pressure, or it may be difficult to contact RFL media officers at the weekend (when games are being payed)?.

Now, I, no more than the rest of you, don't know whether Howes simply had a brain fart and said something in a conversation I don't know the circumstances of which was simply untrue or whether Rylance got the wrong end of the stick and simply misunderstood what was being said.

Two things I would say though:

the statement from the Toulouse officials carries no weight with me at all – these are the people who said a few years ago that they expected to be playing in the 2007-8 Super League season;

similarly, I don't attach a lot of weight to Rylance's editor saying "the RFL have apologised for misleading my reporter" for two reasons: it's still only one side of the story, from a source which has already admitted that reporting what the RFL said is not its strong point

; and in the famous words of Mandy Rice Davis "he would say that, wouldn't he?" – I've never yet known any media organisation, including the ones I've worked for, admit that "we or our reporter got it wrong", it's always "the people we (mis?) quoted got it wrong or misled us".

ATEOTD, like I say, only two people know what was said, and in what circumstances between Rylance and Howes – but the 'special treatment for Toulouse' story which resulted from it turns out to be untrue.

well said mate, i gather that like me you are sick and tired of all the condescending prats who know what is best for our clubs and tell us to forget our allegiences in favour of some hair brained scheme peddled by the likes of the rfl to expand the game at all cost to the detriment of anything or anyone else.

Sorry – what changes were made when Crusaders were admitted to SL?

how then my friend do you explain the quote from the charirman of toulouse?????

hey the same people saying the RFL are clueless now and making the game a laughing stock are the same people who said wrexham wouldnt work out either

the mantra is bag the RFL till they let your little club into SL, at which point one set of fans goes quiet and whichever club gets excluded adds their voices of complaint

ill bet if anybody catches a cold in widnes or halifax next week it will all be richard lewis fault

Did you read what you quoted?

No you are quite right.. it was a piece of strategic brilliance by the RFL.. promote Celtic knowing they would not even see out a full year in SL and that ultimately the demise of top flight rugby in the south of Wales would lead to a new possibly stronger club being introduced in Wrexham. Fantastic..




Don't get me wrong.. things look very postive over there and well done to the guys taking over the reigns..but it was a jammy fluke that very nearly blew up in the RFL faces..

As for this altruistic approach we are supposed to have for our clubs... go flip yourselves!!!
It's the same as saying that "I know you have dog and you love them.. but you need to put your dog down in order for me to show my dog at crufts".... {feel free to use whatever animal / relative} you want to use within the metaphor..

As for us getting carried away on this piece of news yesterday... the article was worded strongly enough to suggest that this was not a rumour and the late response by the RFL considering the importance of the piece was surprising...
As I said yesterday... one of the most alarming things seems to be the number of people that are simply waiting for this to happen and expected this to take place. I am willing to accept that this was a mistake but yesterday this seemed genuine enough, seemed something likely to take place and I think the reaction by most people on here would have been reasonable if this had come to pass.
It is also amazing that there are still a few people that are willing to let the RFL do 'whatever' they want without blame and question.

well the RFL were smart enough to choose wrexham.

the crowds the club has gotten are amongst the higher club crowds the game has ever gotten in its history in wales.

yet people on this thread mock the RFL, and say the game is a laughing stock.

What if the RFL decide to expand Super League to 16 teams? Are they still only obliged to invite applications from teams that made the Championship or NRC Grand Final? IIRC under the present 14 teams, they stated one team would go up and one would go down.

Any decision to expand won't be until 2015 – the clubs and RFL decided just the other week to keep the number at 14 for 2012-15

if they follow the RLIF model they could change their mind and add another 2 teams a year after announcing their decision

Completely wrong as usual



The RFL chose nothing, the only buyer happened to be in Wrexham, without him, there would be no more SL Welsh team.

...and as for TB, it was not an unfounded rumour, it was a clearly well thought out explanation to give reasons why they did not have to apply given by the RFL (employee??). On the statement from the French, was that made up, I doubt it. I can't imagine what Dickys backside tastes like, maybe you could let us know. The RFL have fecked up big style and it wouldn't surprise me if a sponsor or two have had a word with them too.